Charlie the Kitten Who Saved a Life

Just then, a stupid pigeon landed on the lawn, right near where they were sitting, and before I even realised what I was doing, I’d shot out of the door and across the grass after him, startling him into taking off again, with a clumsy flapping of his silly wings. Well, it was my job. And very satisfying it was too.

‘Charlie!’ Caroline screamed, making me jump almost out of my fur. She lunged at me, grabbing me round my tummy so that I wriggled and protested. ‘What are you doing out here? Oh, God, I left the door open, Grace! Quick, Charlie, let’s get you back inside.’

But needless to say, Laura had already heard the commotion and was coming out of the kitchen door after us, looking cross.

‘What on earth are you doing?’ she said to Caroline. ‘He could have run away and got lost!’

‘I know!’ Caroline said, starting to mew. ‘I’m sorry, Laura, I didn’t realise I’d left the door open.’

‘Well, you should have realised! Daddy warned you, Caroline, about keeping Charlie safe. It was you who insisted on bringing him down here with us.’

‘I know!’ she said again. ‘I’ll be more careful, I promise. Please don’t tell Daddy or he’ll take Charlie home and put him in the cattery.’

‘Don’t say that!’ I meowed. I was being carried back into the kitchen now. I must say I’d enjoyed my brief couple of minutes of freedom, though. And I didn’t like Caroline getting the blame. I knew I wasn’t supposed to go out, after all. It was the stupid pigeon’s fault.

‘Well, if it happens again, he will have to go to the cattery,’ Laura said, closing the kitchen door firmly. ‘That’s if he doesn’t end up lost, or run over by a car.’

As you can probably imagine, I had my paws over my ears at this point.

‘I said I was sorry!’ Caroline mewed. ‘I didn’t mean it!’

Laura shook her head. ‘Go and play upstairs,’ she said, as she walked away.

I followed the girls up to their bedroom once again. Caroline was mewing properly now.

‘They don’t want me around, I’m always getting the blame for everything. I might just as well run away!’ she sobbed to Grace.

‘If you do, I’ll come with you,’ Grace said.

‘So, shall we actually do it, Grace?’ They looked at each other for a moment, Caroline still sniffing with tears. ‘If we do it now, we won’t have to start at our new schools. It’s nearly the end of August already.’

‘Yeah, let’s do it. I don’t want to go back home anyway.’

‘And I don’t want to stay where I’m always getting moaned at. But where can we go?’

‘I’ve got an idea,’ Grace said. ‘I was thinking about it after we talked yesterday. I’ve got this great-aunt called Barbara – she’s quite old, but she must be nice, ’cos she sends me and Rose money every year for our birthdays and Christmas. She lives in Duncombe. It’s the next village along the coast, I saw it when Daddy showed me on the map where Mudditon is. I bet she wouldn’t mind letting us stay with her.’

‘But your parents will guess that’s where we are.’

‘No, they won’t. The only time they mention her is when she sends us the cheques. We’ve never been to her house. I’ve only met her once, as far as I know. She came to stay with us, years ago, but she went home the next day.’

‘How would you be able to find her house, then, if you’ve never been there?’

‘It’s a really easy address: April Cottage, Duck Pond Lane. I know it off by heart because every birthday and Christmas, Mum makes us write her a thank-you letter for the money.’

‘April Cottage, Duck Pond Lane,’ Caroline was repeating. ‘It sounds nice. Do you really think she’ll let us stay with her? Do you think you should phone her and ask her?’

‘I haven’t got her phone number. But I’m sure she will. She must really like me, or she wouldn’t send me so much money. It was fifty pounds last time!’

‘Wow!’ Caroline said. ‘She must be well loaded.’

‘Yeah. She’s probably, like, one of those old ladies who couldn’t have her own children so she loves other people’s. I bet she won’t tell us off all the time.’

‘Perhaps she’ll adopt us!’ Caroline said, giggling.

‘Yeah! Then we’ll be sisters!’

And the two girls collapsed on the bed together, laughing with excitement. But the whole time they’d been talking, I’d been sitting on the floor listening, frozen to the spot with horror. What were they thinking of, plotting to run off on their own like that? They’d get lost! They’d get attacked by feral humans! And their parents would be really, really scared and upset – especially as Julian and Laura were already so worried about Caroline being ill again. I meowed at them until I thought I’d lose my voice, but they took absolutely no notice of me – they were too busy giggling over the packing of their little pink rucksacks, putting in pyjamas and socks and a torch and talking about stealing some food and drink from the kitchen when Laura’s back was turned.